New species of plume moths (Lepidoptera: Pterophoridae) from Ecuador

The article describes five new species of plume moths from Ecuador which are new to science: Amblyptilia kara Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich sp.nov ., Hellinsia diana Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich sp.nov ., Hellinsia elena Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich sp.nov ., Hellinsia gielisi Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich sp.nov., and Hellinsia wojtusiaki Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich sp.nov. Description . External characters. Head, thorax and tegulae yellowish-brown. Labial palpi light-brown, twice longer than longitudinal eye diameter. Third segment apically acute. Antennae yellow, interspersed with tiny brown scales. Wingspan 18−23 mm, in holotype 18 mm. Fore wings split almost up to middle of wing, yellowish-brown, interspersed on all wing area with tiny brown scales. Brown spot at cleft base. Distinct elongated brown spot along costal edge of fore wing on first lobe. Fringe inside cleft yellowish-grey. Fringe on outer edge of fore wing light-brown with portions of dark-brown hairs. Hind wings unicolorous, slightly darker than fore wings. Fringe on hind wings grey. Hind legs yellow, with portions of brown scales. Differential diagnosis . The publication of Arenberger and Wojtusiak (2001) on plume moths of Venezuela provides the male genitalia image of the species indicated as Hellinsia? pelodactyla (Berg, 1885) (in the article it is indicated in question), which corresponds in all respects to our new species. Indeed, when comparing the external features of the specimen H. pelodactyla, indicated by Arenberger and Wojtusiak (2001) and the lectotype H. pelodactyla , illustrated in the Gielis (1991), there is a significant difference both in color and in the width of the second lobe of the fore wing. Later, Gielis (2011) contracted Hellinsia pelodactyla to a synonym of Hellinsia surinamensis (Sepp, 1855). The structure of the adult and of the genitalia in H. surinamensis, shown in the publication of Gielis (2011), has no resemblance to our new species and, accordingly, to the species depicted as H.?pelodactyla in the article of Arenberger and Wojtusiak (2001). From which it follows that our new species is not H. surinamensis, but corresponds to the wrongly defined H? pelodactyla, published in the study of Arenberger and Wojtusiak (2001). In the male genitalia, in the sharply curved s accular process on the left valve, the new species is similar to Hellinsia puruha Gielis, 2011, but differs in another shape of the aedeagus and anellus and in the totally different wings color.


Introduction
Some of the first information on plume moths of Ecuador was published by Meyrick (1913Meyrick ( , 1921). An intensive study of the Ecuadorian Pterophoridae began in the end of the 20 th century and continues nowadays. The Pterophoridae fauna of Ecuador includes about 130 species (Gielis 1996(Gielis , 1997(Gielis , 2002(Gielis , 2003(Gielis , 2006(Gielis , 2011(Gielis , 2012(Gielis , 2013(Gielis , 2014(Gielis , 2016Landry & Gielis 1992;Gielis & Matthews 1994;Matthews & Miller 2010;Kovtunovich et al. 2016). The richness and diversity of natural zones in Ecuador together with the equatorial climate, favorable for the plant and animal world, allows suggesting that this region will still be a significant source of faunal findings and of Pterophoridae species new to science. In the materials on Pterophoridae, collected by V. Sinyaev and his assistants in Ecuador, we found five species new to science. The studied specimens are deposited in the collection of the Zoological Institute, St. Petersburg, Russia (ZISP) and in the Collection of P. Ustjuzhanin and V. Kovtunovich, Novosibirsk and Moscow, Russia (СUK).

Amblyptilia kara Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich sp. nov.
http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:3A5D2229-C983-42BF-8F9D-452B3AC685F4 Figs 1−2 Type material: Holotype, male (ZISP, gen.pr. Nr. 1971), Ecuador, Pichincha prov., Camping Tambo Tanda, 1970m, 0°01'22"S 78°38'48"W, 9-10. I.-2013 Description. External characters. Head with bright-yellow scales. Thorax and tegulae brown. Labial palpi light-grey, directed up, equal to longitudinal eye diameter in length. Antennae light-grey. Wingspan 20 mm. Fore wings light-brown. First lobe apically acute. Distinctive oblique narrow dark-brown stroke on first lobe, on background of white scales. Two small brown spots at cleft base. Second lobe darkened with brown scales. Fringe inside cleft grey-brown with alternating dark-brown portions. Fringe on dorsal edge of fore wing grey with portions of dark-brown bundles of scales. Hind wings unicolorous, yellowish-grey, fringe of the same colour. Hind legs pale-yellow with portions of brown scales at bases of spurs. Male genitalia: Valves symmetric, cucullus isolated, slightly narrowing and bluntly rounded on top, with expressed short narrow acute spike. Tegumen bilobed. Sacculus ribbon-like, of equal width in all its length. Uncus lanceolate, basally oval, smoothly narrowing to bluntly tapered apex. Saccus with notch on outer edge. Anellus arms narrow, ribbon-like. Aedeagus slightly curved. One end of cornutus narrow, acute, the other end extended. Basal process of aedeagus short, rounded, directed perpendicularly to aedeagus. Differential diagnosis. In the male genitalia, in the wide, rectangular saccus, the valve apex with the expressed short narrow spike and in the shape of the uncus, the new species is similar to Amblyptilia punoica Gielis, 1996, but in the new species, the saccus has a notch on the outer edge while in A. punoica this notch is absent. The uncus of the new species is lanceolate, with a bluntly acute apex, while in A. punoica the apical part of the uncus is isolated and very narrow. Unlike that of A. punoica, the aedeagus in the new species has cornuti. Additionally, the new species clearly differs from A. punoica in the wings colour. Distribution: Ecuador, Pichincha Province. Flight period: January. Etymology: The species is named after the Indian tribe Kara, which has inhabited Ecuador since ancient times. Description. External characters. Head with dark-brown scales. Thorax and tegulae light-yellow. Labial palpi thin, directed forward, 1,5 times longer than longitudinal eye diameter, brown from outside, yellow from inside. Antennae cross-striped with alternating yellow and brown segments. Wingspan 21.5 mm. Fore wings yellow up to cleft base, slightly interspersed with red-brown scales. Both lobes of fore wing reddish-brown. First lobe apically with two small bright white portions of scales. Fringe inside cleft brown. Fringe on dorsal edge of fore wing yellow from base to beginning of second lobe, then sharply turning into brown. Hind wings unicolorous, light-brown. Fringe on third and fourth lobes light-brown, on fifth lobe yellow from outside. Hind legs pale-yellow with sputtering of brown scales at bases of spurs. Spurs on hind legs of different length. Female genitalia: Papillae anales oval. Posterior apophyses thin, long. Lamina vaginalis wide, rectangular. Antrum goblet-like, sclerotized, ostium funnel-like. Ductus wide, smoothly narrowing into oval bursa copulatrix. Signa in bursa shaped as accumulation of tiny plaques. Ductus seminalis twice longer than bursa copulatrix, elongated and tapered at end. Differential diagnosis. Externally, the adult of the new species is slightly similar to Hellinsia hamadryadis Gielis, 2012, but differs in the completely colored reddish-brown lobes of the fore wing, the absence of the spots at the cleft base and the yellow colour on the wing basally, while in H. hamadryadis, the first lobe is not completely unicolorous: it is brown only above the cleft base, while distally it is yellow. Additionally, H. hamadryadis has a brown spot at the cleft base, and the fore wing is basally noticeably darkened with brown scales. In the general structure of the female genitalia, the new species is similar to Adaina primulacea Meyrick, 1929, but differs in the cluster of tiny signa in the bursa copulatrix, in the wider antrum, in the completely another color of the wings and finally, in the significantly bigger size.

Hellinsia diana
Distribution: Ecuador, Pichincha Province. Flight period: October Etymology: The species is named in memory of Diana, the Princess of Wales, a humanist, wellknown benefactor, generous and sympathetic woman, the Queen of human hearts (1961−1997). Description. External characters. Head, thorax and tegulae green. Labial palpi also green, their third segment thin, narrow, second segment wide. Labial palpi slightly longer than longitudinal eye diameter. Antennae cross-striped, with alternating green and brown segments. Wingspan 27−33 mm, in holotype -27 mm. Fore wings light-green. Brown spot at cleft base. Two brown spots on first lobe along costal edge. Second lobe interspersed with tiny brown scales. Fringe inside cleft with alternating portions of green and brown hairs. Hind wings unicolorous, light-grey with glittering. Fringe on third and fourth lobes greyish-brown, on fifth lobe green at base, from outside, medially and distally mottled: with grey, brown and light-green hairs. Hind legs pale-green, interspersed with brown scales, ends of spurs brown.

Hellinsia elena
Male genitalia: Uncus narrow, slightly curved, apically acute. Valves asymmetric, left slightly wider than right. Saccular process on left valve arched, apically acute, reaching middle of valve in length. Saccular process on right valve short, wide, also reaching only middle of valve. Anellus arms short, wide. Saccus with small notch on outer edge. Aedeagus almost straight, sharply bent on end, almost at right angle, 1.5 times shorter than right valve in length.   Female genitalia: Papillae anales oval. Posterior apophyses long. Lamina vaginalis wide, sclerotized. Antrum short, tubulate. Ductus short, membranous. Bursa copulatrix pear-shaped, without signa.

Differential diagnosis.
In the male genitalia, in the shape of the saccular process on the left valve, the new species is similar to Hellinsia sucrei Gielis, 2011, but differs in the wider and shorter saccular process on the right valve and in the other shape of the anellus and aedeagus. In the apically curved aedeagus, the new species slightly resembles Hellinsia glochinias (Meyrick, 1908) and Hellinsia cordobae Gielis, 2013, but is the new species the aedeagus is apically curved almost at a right angle, while in H. glochinias and H. cordobae it is smoothly curved at a blunt angle. Additionally, the new species clearly differs in the shape of the saccular process on both valves and in the wings colour.
Distribution: Ecuador (Pichincha and Carchi Provinces).  Description. External characters. Thorax and tegulae light-brown. Collar on head with brown sticking out hairs. Labial palpi thin, yellowish-brown, straight, equal to longitudinal eye diameter in length. Antennae yellow, interspersed with tiny brown scales. Wingspan 21-24 mm, in holotype -24 mm. Fore wings light-brown. Small, round, poorly expressed spot at cleft base. Costal edge of fore wing darkened. Distinct darkbrown almost black elongated stroke on first lobe above cleft along costal edge, followed by white stroke and further to apical part of lobe there are tiny black strokes. Bright dark brown spots and dots along outer edge of fore wing. Hind wings unicolorous, slightly lighter than fore wings. Small dark-brown dots on hind wings along outer edge of three lobes. Fringe on all wings yellowish-brown. Hind legs light-yellow. Male genitalia: Uncus narrow, slightly curved, apically acute. Valves asymmetric, left valve slightly wider than right valve. Saccular process on left valve smoothly bent into ring. Saccular process on right valve narrow, rod-like, apically acute and slightly bent, basally wide. Anellus arms basally wide, gradually narrowing to apices, left arm slightly shorter than right arm. Saccus arched. Aedeagus smoothly arched, twice shorter than right valve. Female genitalia: Papillae anales narrow, elongated. Posterior apophyses thin, long. Antrum gobletlike. Ductus short, wide, smoothly passing into relatively short oval bursa copulatrix. Ductus seminalis long, more than three times longer than bursa copulatrix. No signa.
Differential diagnosis. In the male genitalia, in the shape of the saccular process on the left valve, the new species is similar to Hellinsia savrasovi Kovtunovich & Ustjuzhanin, 1918, but differs in the shape of the saccular process on the right valve and in the wings colour.
Distribution: Ecuador (Morono Santiago, Napo and Pichincha Provinces). Flight period: January, March, October, December. Etymology: The species is named after Dr. Cees Gielis, a Dutch prominent specialist on Pterophoridae of the world fauna, who made a great contribution to the study of plume moths of the Neotropical region including Ecuador. Description. External characters. Head, thorax and tegulae yellowish-brown. Labial palpi lightbrown, twice longer than longitudinal eye diameter. Third segment apically acute. Antennae yellow, interspersed with tiny brown scales. Wingspan 18−23 mm, in holotype 18 mm. Fore wings split almost up to middle of wing, yellowish-brown, interspersed on all wing area with tiny brown scales. Brown spot at cleft base. Distinct elongated brown spot along costal edge of fore wing on first lobe. Fringe inside cleft yellowish-grey. Fringe on outer edge of fore wing light-brown with portions of dark-brown hairs. Hind wings unicolorous, slightly darker than fore wings. Fringe on hind wings grey. Hind legs yellow, with portions of brown scales.   Male genitalia: Uncus narrow, slightly curved, apically acute. Valves asymmetric, left valve wider than right one. Saccular process on left valve sharply bent at 180° to hook, distally narrow and acute. Saccular process on right valve short, finger-like, located basally. Anellus arms short, rod-like, equal in length. Saccus smooth on outer edge, without notches. Aedeagus straight, twice shorter than right valve.

Hellinsia wojtusiaki
Female genitalia: Papillae anales short, oval. Posterior apophyses thin, long. Anterior apophyses short, slightly bent. Antrum short, funnel-like, located horizontally. Ductus also short, sharply bent, passing into long, narrow, oval bursa copulatrix. Ductus seminalis membranous, oval, twice shorter than bursa copulatrix. No signa. Differential diagnosis. The publication of Arenberger and Wojtusiak (2001) on plume moths of Venezuela provides the male genitalia image of the species indicated as Hellinsia? pelodactyla (Berg, 1885) (in the article it is indicated in question), which corresponds in all respects to our new species. Indeed, when comparing the external features of the specimen H. pelodactyla, indicated by Arenberger and Wojtusiak (2001) and the lectotype H. pelodactyla, illustrated in the Gielis (1991), there is a significant difference both in color and in the width of the second lobe of the fore wing. Later, Gielis (2011) contracted Hellinsia pelodactyla to a synonym of Hellinsia surinamensis (Sepp, 1855). The structure of the adult and of the genitalia in H. surinamensis, shown in the publication of Gielis (2011), has no resemblance to our new species and, accordingly, to the species depicted as H.?pelodactyla in the article of Arenberger and Wojtusiak (2001). From which it follows that our new species is not H. surinamensis, but corresponds to the wrongly defined H? pelodactyla, published in the study of Arenberger and Wojtusiak (2001). In the male genitalia, in the sharply curved saccular process on the left valve, the new species is similar to Hellinsia puruha Gielis, 2011, but differs in another shape of the aedeagus and anellus and in the totally different wings color.
Distribution: Ecuador (Pichincha Province); Venezuela. Flight period: December−March. Etymology: The species is named after the well-known Polish entomologist Janusz Wojtusiak (1942−2012), who made a great contribution to the study of Microlepidoptera. Janusz Wojtusiak was the first who collected this species in Venezuela, but in the study of Arenberger and Wojtusiak (2001) the species was erroneously identified.